Garment hanger



Oct. 22, 1957 N. L. W-INGATE GARMENT HANGER Filed Oct. 22, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR.

NORMAN LMImGATz Oct. 22, 1957 N. L. WINGATE 2,810,500

GARMENT HANGER Filed Oct. 22, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.6:

2c, 28 l- I 7/ I 2 '24 H fi INVENTOR. OR-MAN LMmaA'rE United States Patent 9 GARMENT HANGER Norman L. Wingate, Albany, Ga.

Application October 22, 1954, Serial No. 464,109

' 2 Claims. (21. 22389) The present invention relates to garment hangers of the type which are received within the shoulder portions and neck opening of a garment and are provided with a hook for suspending the garment hanger from an overhead support.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a garment hanger of improved construction and one which folds into a compact form for storage or transportation, as well-as one which has special features for permitting its use to hang coats, skirts, trousers, and other articles of clothing.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a garment hanger having a bar on which to support an article of clothing by draping it over the bar, the hanger being provided with a latch which releases one arm and simultaneously releases the bar from its attachment to the one arm.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a garment hanger having a double clamping means on the end of each arm, one of which may be used to support a bar extending from one arm to the other for the support of an article of clothing draped over the bar, while the other clamping means is used to support the edge of another article of clothing.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a garment hanger of sturdy construction and one which may be formed from lightweight metal, plastic, or a similar substance using ordinary forming machinery.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a garment hanger having a lock means adjacent to the hook of the hanger which is easily and readily operated by the fingers of one hand, and which, when operated, collapses one of the arms of the hanger to permit the hanger to be withdrawn from within the shoulder portions of a garment without the usual stretching of the garment upwardly and outwardly to release the shoulder portions from the arms of the hanger.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be fully apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the annexed drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view in elevation of the present invention with its arms extended outwardly;

Figure 2 is a plan view in elevation of the present invention in collapsed condition;

Figure 3 is a vertical view partly in cross section on line 33 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a partial side view partially in cross section on line 44 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is an end view partially in cross section on line 55 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a partial side view in elevation;

Figure 7 is a partial vertical view;

Figure 8 is an end view partially in cross section on line 88 of Figure 6; and

Figure 9 is a view in cross section on line 9--9 of Figure 6.

Referring in greater detail to the drawings in which like numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views, the present invention is seen to consist of a hook 10 and a shank 11 which is attached to the lower end of the hook 10 by its upper end, and has a first arm 12 fixedly connected by one end to the shank 11 at the lower end thereof. V

A second arm 13 is pivotally connected by its one end to the shank 11 for swinging movement from 'a position extending outwardly from one side of the shank to a position substantially parallel to the first arm 12.

As shown most clearly in Figures 2 and 5, the shank 11 is formed with a recess 14 in which fits the nose portion 15 of the second arm .13. A latch 16 formed from a U-shaped member has its bight 17 swingable to a position down over the nose portion 15 into the slot indicated by the reference numeral 18.

The legs-19 of the U-shaped member overlie the sides of the shank 11 and are pivotally connected to the shank 11 for swinging movement about a transverse axis or a pin 20, and biased toward closing position by the spring 21, as seen most clearly in Figure 4.

The latch 16 forms a locking means to hold the second arm 13 in its position extending outwardly from the'one side of the shank 11, opposite to the outwardly extending position of the first arm 12.

Adjacent the other end of each of the other arms is a gripping means composed of a pair of leaf springs 22 and 23, disposed one on each side of each of the arms, adjacent the lower end thereof and connected by means of a pair of leaf springs disposed one on each side of each of the arms 12 and 13 adjacent the lower end of each.

A gripping means consisting of a pair of leaf springs, 22 and 23, is disposed adjacent the-lower end of each of the arms 12 and 13, with one of the leaf springs on each side of the respective arms. Each of the springs is connected by its one end by means of the rivets 24 to its respective arm and is biased toward the other leaf of each pair by means of a spring 25-which traverses a hole in the arm 12, or 13. The one end of each of the leaf springs on one side of the arms 12 and 13 is formed with a hook 26 and 27, respectively, on which may be hung the loops of a garment for support thereof. A horizontally projecting hook 26 extends from the one fixed end of the leaf spring 23, and a similar hook 27 extends from the leaf spring 22 on the other arm. The hooks 26 and 27 may be used to receive the loop straps of a garment.

A bar 28, of somewhat U-shaped formation has its bight extending horizontally from each of the arms 12 and 13 when they are in extended position.

The bars formed with short upstanding legs 29 and 30, each of which are formed with a shoulder portion 31 which overlies the top edge of each of the arms 12 and 13, as shown in dotted lines in each of Figures 8 and 9.

In use, the bar 28 provides means for supporting an article of clothing draped over the bar between the arms 12 and 13 either additionally to an article of clothing hung from the hooks 26 and 27, as well as a garment supported with its shoulder portions overlying each of the arms 12 and 13 and with the shank 11 extending through the neck opening.

In use, the bar 28 has its one leg 30 slipped underneath one of the leaf springs 23 with the shoulder 31 overlying the top edge of the arm 12. The other leg 29 may be received underneath the leaf spring 23, at the free end thereof, also with its shoulder 31 overlying the top edge of the arm 13. In this position, the bar 28 is fixedly carried by the arms 12 and 13 until the latch 16 is raised to permit the arm 13 to be moved to its collapsed position shown in Figure 2, at which time the leg 29 is no Patented Oct. 22, 1957- longer held under the leaf spring 23. The bar then is free to pivot by its leg 30 with respect to the arm 12 to release any garment held or draped over the bar.

Upon release of the latch 16, the arm 13 falling toward the parallel position with respect, to the arm 12 permits a garment hung over the arms 12 and 13 to be removed without stretching the garment or lifting of the one side of the same, as is commonly done with garment hangers of the noncollapsible type.

The upper end of the arm 13 is formed with a thickened boss or upstanding lug 32 which is positioned adjacent to and inwardly of the pivotal connection of the second arm 13 with the first arm 12 and of a height to extend above the lower portion of the lock means 16, the lug 32 being operable when the arm 13 is in the extended position for protecting the lock means 16 from accidentally opening when abutted by another garment hanger or the like. It is necessary to use two fingers, one on each side, to grip the latch 16, in order to open it.

Further, as seen in Figure l, the arms 12 and 13 are provided on their lower ends with hooks 33 and 34 on which garments may be hooked by belt loops, each of which is provided with a hook guard 35 and 36, respectively, which permit the hanger to be withdrawn through the neck opening of a garment without danger of snagging the hooks on the garment.

While shown here complete with the gripping leaf springs on each of the arms, with the bar 28, and with hooks 26, 27, 33 and 34, the invention can be constructed with any or all of these partsin any combination desired.

While a single embodiment of the present invention has been here illustrated and described, it is believed that other embodiments may be made and practiced within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A garment hanger comprising an upstanding hook adapted to be suspended from an overhead support, a shank disposed below said hook and having its upper end connected to the lower end of the latter, a first arm projecting outwardly from one side of said shank and connected by one end to the latter at the other end thereof, a second arm pivotally connected by one end to the other side of the said shank at the lower end of the latter for limited swinging movement from a position extending outwardly from said shank to a position substantially parallel to said first arm, cooperating lock means embodying a U-shaped member having its legs pivotally connected to said shank for swinging movement about a transverse axis and operable to engage with a nose portion on said second arm to releasably lock said second arm in the extended position, said arms when said second arm is in the extended position being adapted to be received Within the shoulder portions of a garment with said shank extending through the neck opening, and an upstanding lug carried by said second arm positioned adjacent to and inwardly of the pivotal connection of said second arm and said first arm and of a height to extend above the lower portion of the lock means and operable when said second arm is in the extended position for protecting said lock means from accidental opening.

2. A garment hanger comprising an upstanding hook adapted to be suspended from an overhead support, a shank disposed below said hook and having its upper end connected to the lower end of the latter, a first arm projecting outwardly from one side of said shank and connected by one end to the latter at the other end thereof, a second arm pivotally. connected by one end to the other side of the said shank at the lower end of the latter for limited swinging movement from a positionextending outwardly from said shank to a position substantially parallel to said first arm, bar means detachably connected one end to each of said arms when said second arm is in the extended position and being adapted to support a garment draped over said bar means when so connected, cooperating lock means embodying a U-shaped member having its legs pivotally connected to said shank for swinging movement about a transverse axis and operable to engage with a nose portion on said second arm to releasably lock said second arm in the extended position, said arms when said second arm is in the extended position being adapted to be received within the shoulder portions of a garment with said shank extending through the neck opening, and an upstanding lug carried by said second arm positioned adjacent to and inwardly of the pivotal connection of said second arm and said first arm and of a height to extend above the lower portion of the lock means and operable when said second arm is in the extended. position for protecting said lock means from accidental opening.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,336,375 Owen Apr. 6, 1920 2,418,870 Crowder Apr. 15, 1947 2,439,838 Wingate Apr. 20, 1948 

